Nicole's Curse
by TheMadTargaryen
Summary: When Nicole was attacked by Willa, she died only to come back to life. However, she didn't come back as the same old Nicole. No, dying had awakened something in her. Something very powerful. Something very frightening. Will Nicole be able to control it or will it take over?


**Hey everyone! MadTargaryen here with a brand new story!**

**Wynonna Earp is one of my newest obsessions. I watched it on a whim when there was nothing to watch and it was one of the best decisions I made. I absolutely love the show! All the characters are great. I knew after binging the series that I had to write a story.**

**So, the story mainly focuses on Nicole and her new life while dealing with the demons of Purgatory. This is, of course, a WayHaught fic as well. My favorite couple.**

**Alrighty, I believe I said all I needed to say so please enjoy the first chapter!**

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**Nicole's Curse**

**CH.1**

**First of all, what the hell?**

The Sheriff's office looked like a ghost town when Nicole marched through the building, ready to get to work.

The entire town had fallen to a state of panic courtesy of one Bobo Del Rey who revealed he poisoned the champagne everyone drank at the party. Then to make it worse, he put a hit on Wynonna (and by extension Waverly), for anyone that wanted the antidote they had to bring Wynonna Earp to him. Now the town was in a frenzy (mostly from the poisons side-effect) searching for Wynonna in the hopes of acquiring the cure.

Nicole wasn't surprised that a supposed quiet night in Purgatory turned into the exact opposite. This town, she had known something was different about it since the day she drove into the city's limits. It was this feeling that compelled her to stay and make a living in this small town. It wasn't just about this town that felt different but herself as well, as if something within her was stirring. Awakening.

"_Purgatory's overrun by demon revenants aka Wyatt Earp's resurrected outlaws."_

That sentence would have made anyone think they were either going crazy or the person who said it was crazy but for Nicole, it made her feel relief to know that she wasn't the only one to acknowledge the phenomenon. Though to hear the words coming from _THE_ Doc Holliday was a surprise, that revelation had to be put aside for the moment in order to deal with the crazed poisoned folks of Purgatory and find Wynonna and Waverly before anyone else does.

Changing out of her formal wear, Nicole returned to her work uniform and strapped on her gun belt in preparation to deal with any violent folk. Something she dearly hoped she wouldn't have to use.

Walking down the hallway of the station, Nicole hears voices coming from the room the Black Badge Division commandeered for themselves while working in Purgatory. As she moved closer to the room, she could recognize the voices coming from all three Earp sisters. Nicole felt relieved to hear Waverly's voice here safe and sound rather than her being out in the streets and began walking faster to the open doorway to the office. She halted suddenly just before walking through when she realized the sisters were arguing amongst each other, mostly between Waverly and Willa.

"I think Waverly ingested the poison! "Nicole heard the familiar and albeit annoying voice of Willa Earp call out accusingly at her youngest sister.

"Did not!" Waverly quickly objected to her sister's assumption. Nicole knew for a fact that Waverly didn't drink any of the poisoned champagne at the party.

"She's acting erratically!" Willa continued to accuse the youngest Earp.

"Because I took Peacemaker away from you?!" Waverly shot back.

Nicole took a chance and peered into the doorway to see the three Earp sisters standing defensively amongst each other. Waverly stood closer to Wynonna who seemed to be trying to comprehend the situation and why Waverly would steal the gun from Willa. Willa stood alone on the other side of the room looking pissed and impatient as Waverly explained herself.

"I saw something in Willa's eyes," Waverly told Wynonna after she asked her youngest sister for an explanation. "Back at the place where Bobo held her."

"What are you saying?" Wynonna asked. Nicole had never seen her look this serious before.

"I don't think the Willa that came back is _our_ Willa." Waverly clarified.

"What I am is the Goddamn Earp heir!" Willa yelled at the two as she pulled a pistol from behind her and pointed it at both of her sisters. "And I am running out of Goddamn time!"

Nicole could see Waverly and Wynonna stiffen as the weapon aimed at the two. She wanted to run in, but it was too risky. Willa had the advantage and the way things are looking, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot either of them to get that gun back.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt," Willa stated rather calmly and pointed the gun again at Wynonna.

"No one's getting hurt on my watch," Wynonna responded with as much confidence as she could in this situation.

"Nobody else you mean." Willa scoffed. "Daddy. Me. Everyone else out there. When are you going to take responsibility for all that you've done?!"

"Why did Bobo save you at the Homestead?" Wynonna pondered, ignoring Willa's obvious subject change. "Why did you save him?"

The room went silent for a moment before the clicking sound of a pistol's hammer broke that silence, sending a jolt of panic through Nicole as she watched Willa turn the gun at Waverly. It took everything in her being to keep her from rushing into the room.

"Give me Peacemaker, Wynonna, or I'll punch a bunch of bullets into Waverly." Willa's menacingly calm voice was proof that she meant it and that worried Nicole and made her realize she had to do something fast.

"You won't shoot it," Wynonna stated, her voice wavered a bit as she called Willa on her bluff.

"You wanna bet?" The eldest Earp smirked at her. "Would you stake Waverly's life on it?"

Nicole prayed that Wynonna wouldn't. '_That gun is not worth her life!'_

"Wynonna...forget about me." Nicole and Wynonna both turned to the youngest Earp, tears could be seen rolling down her face from her gorgeous glistening eyes. "I do not matter. One life does not matter if it means saving thousands."

The conflict in Wynonna was clear in her expression and hesitation to do what either sister wanted her to do.

"Peacemaker is yours Wynonna. It was always meant to be yours. Not Willa's." Waverly's voice got heavier as she spoke. "You and that gun are the only things that can put a stop to Bobo and his plans."

"Waverly...I can't." Wynonna croaked and gulped down her tears. "Baby girl, you mean far too much for me."

"Wynonna…" Waverly's voice was barely an audible whisper at this point.

Ignoring her youngest sister's protest, Wynonna reluctantly handed Willa the handbag containing Peacemaker.

A sly smirk appeared on Willa's face as she took the handbag and made her way to the doorway. Nicole quickly moved out of the way to keep herself hidden as the eldest Earp walked her way.

"So naive. So emotional." Willa sighed at Wynonna as she backed away from her sisters, gun still pointed at Waverly.

Wynonna shook her head as she glared at her sister.

"This isn't over." She warned Willa. "I'm coming for you."

Willa stopped just before getting through the doorway and said, "Then I better slow you down."

The eldest Earp turned to Waverly and aimed the gun at the youngest's chest.

Without thinking, Nicole jumped in. Seeing that gun pointed at her girlfriend, something had snapped within Nicole that made her disregard any matters of her safety and jump on the eldest Earp.

Willa shrieked and flailed her arms as she tried to get out of Nicole's grasp but Nicole wouldn't let her. Grabbing one of Willa's arm's, she took hold of her wrist and secured the arm behind her back in a tight grip, knocking the gun and handbag from Willa's hands.

"YOU BITCH!" Willa angrily yelled at Nicole as she tried to fight her way out of Nicole's tight grip. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU GINGER BUTCH COP!"

Nicole was normally very restraint when dealing with the unruly and even the hateful bigots, but Willa has been rubbing Nicole the wrong way ever since they met and seeing her threaten Waverly had already made her reach her boiling point. Something within her had finally snapped and her control had been broken like a dam and now Willa was getting her full wrath as she took the eldest Earp by the back of her head and rammed it hard into the doorway beams a few times before letting her drop to the linoleum floor.

Nicole looked down at the writhing Willa who moaned and cried as she cradled her bloodied nose on her quickly bruising face. The high from attacking Willa quickly waned when she realized what she had done and quickly turned her widening gaze at the other two Earp sisters who looked just as shocked as Nicole did at what just happened in front of them.

"I can't believe I just did that!" Nicole squeaked as she began to panic. It had been a long time since she had been that angry and let loose like that but it still surprised her that she could get so violent. She didn't mean to be excessive but in truth, she was glad she got to beat up Willa Earp.

"I can't believe you did that either." Wynonna agreed and slowly walked over to Nicole and pat her shoulder. "But I'm glad you did Haught!"

Nicole nodded and exhaled in relief that Wynonna was apparently fine with how she incapacitated Willa. She then turned her attention to Waverly who made her way over as well.

"Waverly—" Nicole's eyes softened as the youngest Earp stopped in front of her. "Waverly...I...I am sorry but I just couldn't—"

Waverly didn't give Nicole a chance to finish her apology. Rather than talk, Waverly showed her appreciation by unexpectedly leaping onto Nicole and embracing her in a tight hug that Nicole instantly reciprocated and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

"You saved my life," Waverly muttered to Nicole. "Thank you so much!"

Nicole chuckled and rested her chin on top of Waverly's head.

"Hey, I wasn't about to let anyone hurt you," Nicole assured her with a kind genuine smile.

Waverly gazed back at Nicole, the admiration was clear on her gorgeous face before moving her hands from Nicole's arms to her neck and bringing her head down to her level and gave her a surprise but passionate kiss on her lips.

"Ahem!"

The two quickly broke apart and turned to see a shocked and confused Wynonna staring back at them.

"Uh...Waverly…is there something you want to tell me?"

Nicole glanced at Waverly, seeing the flustered and very frightened expression as she stared at her sister.

"Yeah, there is," Waverly replied hesitantly to Wynonna.

Nicole back away to give the sisters some space and talk. She took a couple of steps back before Waverly reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand.

Waverly glanced back at her, Nicole could tell that she wanted her to stay. Nicole gave her a reassuring smile and a quick squeeze of her hand to let her know that she is going to stay by her side.

Wynonna seemed to take notice of their actions as her already furrowed brow deepened on her forehead.

"Wynonna…" Waverly's voice wavered a bit as she began. She took a moment to compose herself proceeding. "Nicole and I are...are dating."

For once, Wynonna was speechless. Her brow unfurled as she tried to say something to Waverly.

However, Waverly didn't give her a chance to reply.

"And if...if you think this is wrong...or whatever...I don't care because...because I love her!"

Nicole's eyes widened at Waverly. She did not expect to hear those words, at least not so soon but if truth be told, she loved Waverly too. In fact, she has been in love with the youngest Earp since the day she first laid eyes on her.

Waverly turned to Nicole, her big gorgeous glistening eyes softened at the sight of her. Nicole stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Waverly in comfort. For a moment, the two stared at each other as if they were the only two in the room. It wasn't until they heard the scuffing of Wynonna's boots on the hard floor as she walked over toward them.

Wynonna didn't look angry or...anything for that matter. Her poker face was incredible because Nicole had no idea of what to expect from her but she readied to put herself in between the sisters if need be. She remembered well how Willa took the news and hoped Wynonna was more accepting.

Wynonna stopped when she reached Waverly, a foot of space remained between the two sisters. The silence in the room was tense as they waited for Wynonna's response to the sudden news.

After what felt like a lifetime, Wynonna quickly reached out and grabbed Waverly by the arm. The sudden movement alerted Nicole and nearly made her spring into action but quickly stopped herself when she saw that Wynonna grabbed Waverly to pull her into a tight hug.

The action caught Waverly off guard, who remained stiffened at the touch but soon relaxed and embraced her sister as well.

"You're not angry with me?" Waverly asked when the two finally broke apart.

"Angry?" Wynonna sounded shocked that Waverly would ask her that. "Baby girl, if I'm angry it's at myself for making you think you couldn't tell about this!"

Waverly began to cry and apologized to Wynonna for not telling her sooner. Wynonna rubbed Waverly's back and consoled her, telling her that it's going to be okay.

"Why did you feel like you couldn't tell me, Waves?" Wynonna asked her youngest sister.

"I don't know," Waverly muttered as she wiped the tear tracks from her flushed cheeks. "This is all new to me...and then Willa caught me and Nicole kissing in the barn—"

"Wait...Willa caught you two kissing?!" Wynonna's eyes glared at Willa, who was still on the floor cradling her messed up face.

Waverly nodded. "Yeah, and she said that you would be angry with me when you found out."

"Willa doesn't know a thing about me, Waverly," Wynonna told her. "You, on the other hand, know me very well. Hell, sometimes I think you know me better than myself."

Wynonna turned her gaze to Nicole.

"Does she make you happy?" The question was obviously for Waverly.

That beautiful smile of Waverly's returned to her lips as she nodded. "Yeah, she does."

"Then, as long as you are happy then I'm happy for you."

Nicole was glad to hear that Wynonna was fine with her sister dating a woman, not as much as Waverly though, from the relieved look on her face.

Hearing the moaning and groaning of Willa Earp brought the three back to the current situation at hand. The three turned to the traitor Earp and walked over to her, surrounding.

Willa stared up at them, her angry eyes red and puffy from crying while her face bruised to a purple color around her broken nose.

"So, what should we do with Willa?" Waverly asked, the anger very clear in her voice as she spoke those words.

"Wynonna sighed. Nicole could tell she was conflicted and rightly so. It is never easy to arrest your own family.

"She needs to be held accountable for what she's done," Wynonna said without any emotion in her tone. "She lied and betrayed us and allied with Bobo."

The middle Earp turned to Nicole.

"Got any cuffs on you?"

Nicole nodded and took the handcuffs from her belt. She was more than happy to arrest Willa Earp.

Nicole crouched down to cuff Willa but as she took Willa's hand, a glint of metal caught her eye from underneath Willa's free hand.

Nicole's eyes met Willa's as a dark smile curled on the eldest Earp's lips when she realized the metal is a long knife blade. Before she could react, Willa grabbed ahold of Nicole and stabbed the serrated blade into Nicole's chest.

Nicole's eyes widened as she felt the cold steel of the blade slide deeper into her chest. Her legs began to shake and give way under the pain and shock she was feeling.

"NICOLE!" Waverly screamed in despair as she watched Nicole sink to the ground with Willa holding the knife in one hand and Nicole with the other, carefully lying Nicole on the hard ground.

Waverly rushed to be with Nicole but before she could get close to her, Willa pointed her pistol at her youngest sister and cocked the hammer back, forcing Waverly to halt in her tracks and Wynonna to step forward and pull Waverly behind her.

"Take one more step, and I'll pull this serrated knife out of her chest." Willa threatened. "It'll tear right through her and she'll die in seconds."

"My God Willa what have you done?!" Wynonna yelled at her sister as she watched her carefully place Nicole on the ground still trying to comprehend what Willa had just done.

"Whatever it takes to slow you down." Willa calmly stated and brought forth her free hand while the other held securely on to the knife hilt. "Now, give me Peacemaker."

"Don't do it Wynonna!" Nicole grunted, feeling the pain of the blade with every word she spoke.

Willa didn't like that Nicole was telling her sisters to defy her and pushed down on the hilt, furthering the blade deeper into her chest and twisting it.

Nicole cried in pain, not being able to hold back just how much it hurts to be stabbed.

When Wynonna still didn't give Willa the clutch bag with the old gun, Willa pushed even further, causing the officer to cry out even more.

"Okay okay!" Wynonna snapped at her eldest sister and held out the bag. "Here it is, just stop hurting her!"

Willa didn't let go of the knife until the bag was in her hand and unclasped the top to make sure that it was still in there this time. Satisfied, she got up, still pointing the gun at her sisters, and walked back toward the office doorway.

"Keep the knife in place when you take her to the hospital," Willa told them before exiting the office. "It's the only thing keeping her from bleeding out so you may have a chance to save her."

With those final words, Willa gave her sisters one last look before turning away and marched through the doorway and out of the building.

Once she was gone, Waverly ran to Nicole, falling to her knees and placed Nicole's head on her lap, trying to make her as comfortable as possible in her frantic state.

Nicole tried to calm her but every time she spoke, Waverly would shush her.

"No blood."

Nicole and Waverly both turned to Wynonna who walked over to them, her expression remained serious as she crouched down on the other side of Nicole.

"What?" Waverly squeaked out at her sister.

"There's no blood." She repeated, taking notice of the lack of blood pouring from Nicole. "Why aren't you bleeding out?"

Truth be told, the bulletproof vest she wore underneath her uniform was secured tightly around her body like a giant gauze and the knife itself was like a plug keeping the blood from pouring out faster from the wound.

Nicole tried to answer her but the pain was becoming more unbearable and it was making it harder to breathe for her.

"If my sister joined the dark side, and you've been a revenant this whole time, I'm just going to call in sick tomorrow."

"No, I'm —" was all Nicole could utter before a pained gasp escaped her mouth when Wynonna tore her uniform shirt open, revealing the bulletproof vest underneath.

"…Wearing a bulletproof vest."

The revelation came to a relief to Wynonna and even more so to Waverly who held Nicole tighter.

"It's kind of standard operating procedure when we got a 404 on our hands. Bunch of crazy hicks off their rockers."

The two Earp's laughed at the meaning and feeling calmer about the situation. Just like how Nicole wanted them to feel.

"Finally picked the smart one." Wynonna jested to her sister and gave her a quick wink while Waverly returned the response with an appreciative smile.

Waverly looked down at Nicole, gently caressing the red hair atop of Nicole's head.

"We're going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

Nicole shook her head as best she could. "No, no. The blade didn't do much damage. The vest took most of the brunt of the blade. It's just a flesh wound, nothing more. I'll take myself to the hospital and get checked out."

Waverly shook her head and was about to object but Nicole stopped her.

"I'll be fine. It's not that bad. You gotta go with Wynonna and stop your sister. Sorry, but she's kind of a dickhead."

Wynonna and Waverly laughed a little as Nicole tried to lighten the situation.

"I wish Doc and Dolls were here," Wynonna muttered.

"They went to raid Shorty's." Nicole recanted the conversation she had with the two men earlier and the plan Dolls came up with to help the town. "They went to find an antidote for the poison to give to everyone affected."

"See? Super smart." Waverly complimented Nicole to Wynonna. Nicole smiled at the compliment before Waverly bent down to give her a kiss on the lips.

For a moment, the kiss made all the pain Nicole felt go away. It was as if the mere presence of Waverly made her feel better.

It felt like it was just the two of them until Wynonna tossed Waverly's coat at them, telling Waverly to hurry.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Waverly asked Nicole. Her face looked at her with concern, but Nicole only smiled back.

"Yeah, I can take myself. Go get your sister."

Waverly seemed hesitant to leave her injured girlfriend but Nicole reassured her that she was going to be alright.

The youngest Earp leaned down to give her girlfriend one last kiss and got up to follow Wynonna out of the building, leaving Nicole alone once again.

Once she knew they were gone, the smile disappeared from her and was replaced with one of extreme pain.

Her breathing was becoming more difficult as the pain in her chest worsened. Carefully. She slid a hand underneath the vest and brought it back out, revealing the warm sticky red blood that had been gathering underneath.

She didn't have the heart to tell them how serious the wound was because they would not have left to go after Willa. While the vest did a good job of protecting her from most of the serrated blade, the vest couldn't protect her from all of it. It was meant to catch bullets, not knives after all.

Willa was right about the vest and the knife, they have managed to seal the wound, allowing her time to get help. For how long though, she wasn't sure. There was already a lot of blood seeping from her chest. She could feel it all gathering on her undershirt. She needed to go to the hospital and fast.

As carefully as she could, Nicole got up from the floor with great difficulty, using the desks as a crutch to help her stand. The world was spinning around her as she tried to steady herself. She must've lost a lot more blood than she realized.

She took a few uneasy steps to the doorway when her legs gave out, toppling the redhead down the ground with a loud smack. The impact made the wound hurt so much the pain blinded her and all she saw was white until a blurry vision of the surroundings before it began to darken as her eyes closed.

The last thing she saw before the darkness was a large figure coming through the doorway toward her. She wasn't too sure, but she could have sworn she heard her name being called out in the distance.

xXx

xXx

**Waverly Earp**

The ride back to Purgatory seemed to take forever as Waverly drove her jeep back to town after picking up Wynonna and Doc from the outskirts along the Ghost River Triangle. It was also a quiet ride, neither speaking much about what happened as they still reeled from their altercations. Waverly was still reeling from the conversation she had with Bobo when he revealed that she wasn't an Earp when she picked up her sister and Doc. Not wanting to tell her sister just yet, she put the conversation behind her for now to help her sister.

When she asked about the altercation with Willa, Wynonna didn't say much but said she did what she had to do. Waverly understood what that meant and didn't press further, seeing the troubled look that Wynonna was trying to hide behind a stone hardened expression she wore the rest of the trip.

Waverly asked about Dolls, which Doc answered for her when Wynonna didn't. He told her that Black Badge took him away for insubordination. That was all he said.

Waverly's jeep slowed to a stop when they found a spot in the hospital parking lot. She stopped the engine and took the keys from the ignition and was about to leave when she noticed Wynonna was still sitting in the passenger seat looking distant as she had the entire ride.

"Wynonna?" Waverly softly called out to her sister.

When Wynonna didn't respond, Doc opened her door and gently nudged her shoulder, startling her back to the present.

"Yeah, are we at the hospital?" she asked as casually as possible and began to unbuckle her seat belt. Waverly could tell that killing Willa and losing Dolls was weighing heavily on Wynonna and it did for her too (Well, maybe just losing Dolls) and it hurt her to see Wynonna try to hold it all in.

Doc stepped aside to give Wynonna the space to exit the car and closed the door before all three made their way to the hospital to check on Nicole.

The Hospital was busier than ever as the residence got checked to see if the antidote got rid of the poison they unknowingly ingested thanks to a now deceased Bobo Del Rey.

Making their way to the front desk, they saw a very busy looking woman in hospital scrubs just getting off the phone and returned to her computer.

Waverly rushed to the desk with Wynonna and Doc following close behind.

"Excuse me," Waverly said, gaining the rather irritated attention of the female hospital clerk. "I need the room number of a Nicole Haught, please."

"And you would be?" the woman snidely asked Waverly.

"I'm her girlfriend."

The woman stared at her for a moment with an arched brow before giving her an answer.

"I'm sorry but unless you are family, I cannot give out any patient information." She answered with an unenthused sigh and returned to her gaze to her computer screen.

"No please! I need to see her —"

"And I told you I can't give you information unless your family." The clerk repeated, her irritation becoming more apparent to them. "It's hospital policy. Now if you don't mind, I have more important matters to attend to."

Waverly looked to be on the verge of tears at the helplessness she felt at the moment. Wynonna however, felt the opposite. She didn't like the way that lady talked to her sister an she wasn't going to get away with it.

Stepping up to the desk, Wynonna slammed the palm of her hand on the desktop, eliciting a sharp noise that startled the clerk and made her jump in her seat.

"Listen lady," Wynonna growled as she glared at the woman. "How about you get off your God damn high horse and be useful for once!"

The clerk's eyes widened in shock at the words coming from the Earp.

"Excuse me?!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, excuse you for being such a bitch to my sister when all she wants is to know what room her girlfriend is in to see if she's okay." Wynonna snapped back at the clerk.

"I will not be talked to like that!" the clerk angrily told her and picked up the phone. "I'm calling Security."

Waverly's began to feel herself panic. Not because of Security being called but because she wanted to check on Nicole. She's been trying to call her since before picking up Wynonna and Doc but all her calls kept going to voicemail and her texts remain unread.

"Wynonna?"

The three turned to the sound of the gruff voice of the town Sheriff. Nedley still didn't look one hundred percent but appeared to be much better than he was earlier now that he took the antidote that Black Badge cooked up for the town.

"Oh, good!" the clerk smugly said as she placed the phone back. "We can take this conversation straight to the Sheriff."

Just as the clerk was about to explain her version, Nedley raised a hand to stop her before giving all his attention to the trio before him.

"Ladies. Doc." The Sheriff greeted the group. "I take it y'all are looking for Nicole?"

"Yes!" Waverly excitedly exclaimed, her eyes shined brightly with the hope of finally getting to see her girlfriend. "Do you know what room she's in?"

Nedley didn't respond right away, seemingly looking for the right words to say to them.

Waverly's excitement waned as she began to notice things about Nedley as he stood there. He has never been known to show much emotion but she could tell he was upset and even more so, his eyes were red and glistening as if he had been crying.

"Where is she?" Waverly demanded, her voice trembling as she glared at the sheriff. "Where is Nicole? I want to see Nicole!"

"Waverly darlin', I'm so sorry…" Nedley told her as softly as his gruff voice would allow. "Nicole…she died."

Waverly felt like her stomach dropped when she heard those words. It couldn't be true. Nicole couldn't be gone!

"No." was all Waverly could say at first while shaking her head in disbelief. "No, she isn't. You're lying!"

"Oh, Baby girl." Wynonna somberly said as she placed an arm around her sister.

Waverly quickly pulled away as soon as she felt Wynonna's touch and turned to the other three.

"No, she can't be dead! She—she was fine not too long ago! Waverly's frantic voice exclaimed to them as she recalled her last moment with her girlfriend. "She said she was fine and told us to leave and go after Willa and — and —"

Sobs claimed Waverly's voice as the realization finally set into her that Nicole was really gone.

Wynonna went to her little sister and pulled her into a tight hug to comfort her. Waverly accepted the gesture this time and wrapped her arms around her older sister and cried into her shoulder.

"What happened Nedley?" Wynonna asked the sheriff, wanting to know herself what went wrong. "Nicole made it seem like it was just a flesh wound."

Before Nedley could answer her question, a doctor called out for the Sheriff.

Waverly recognized the young doctor from seeing him around town and at Shorty's. His name is Darren Teague and he recently took up the position at the hospital a few months back. Aside from seeing him at the bar, Waverly knew of him from the constant gossip from her friends, who thought he was very handsome as did the rest of the female population of Purgatory.

"I've got these forms you need 's family to sign when they arrive," he informed Nedley and handed him the clipboard of forms and a pen attached to the clip on top. "Once these are signed, the body will be ready to be given to —"

Nedley cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the young doctor.

"Uh...Darren, these are officer Haught's friends," he informed the doctor and turned to the trio around them.

It took a moment but the doctor soon realized his insensitivity and his expression turned sympathetic to the distraught group.

"Oh man, I am so sorry for that and for your loss." he apologized to them.

"We'll forgive ya if you can tell us what happened to Nicole." Wynonna quickly quipped.

Darren nodded his head in acceptance of the deal. "Okay, well...the serrated blade that pierced her did a lot of damage to her chest and punctured through the left ventricle of her heart, which caused her to bleed out. It's honestly a miracle that she survived as long as she did. The tightness of her bulletproof vest and the leaving the knife in place stymied the blood loss for a while but she needed to see a doctor as soon as it happened."

"How did she get here?" Waverly asked.

"I brought her in." Answered Nedley. "After you two told me about Chrissy and Nicole, I went to the office and found Nicole unconscious on the ground, blood pooled around her. When I checked her vitals, she was barely alive."

"When she was brought in, I worked on her right away." Doctor Darren chimed in. "But she lost too much blood and...and her body just gave out. There was nothing more I could do."

Wynonna held on tighter to Waverly as her sister's sobs grew heavier after hearing what the doctor's report.

Tears began stinging Wynonna's own eyes as she tried to console her sister. She didn't know Nicole as well as she hoped but the times they chatted at the PD were enjoyable. What made this more difficult for her was seeing how hurt Waverly is. Her poor sister has been through so much in her life and being with Nicole was the one bit of happiness she finally got to have and just like that, it was taken from her, like so many other good things.

Waverly has always been strong in many distressing situations and managed to come through all right but this, Wynonna didn't think this was something Waverly was going to come through this so easily, if at all.

"What's going to happen to her?" Asked Waverly after breaking away from Wynonna and wiping away the tear tracks from her flushed face. "What happens now?"

Nedley was the one to answer her questions.

"Well, I contacted her family to let them know what happened. They're on their way here. Once they arrive and sign these forms...Nicole will be sent back with them to be buried."

"What?!" Exclaimed A frantic Waverly as she turned to her sister then to Doc and Nedley and finally to the Doctor. "Then I have to see her! I have to see Nicole right now!"

"I'm sorry but I can't let you do that." Doctor Darren told her. The Doctor's attitude changed suddenly. It became defensive at the request." I can't let any civilians into the morgue. It's hospital policy."

Waverly felt like she was about to lose it. She already felt beyond remorseful for leaving her dying Nicole behind now Nicole was going to be taken away from her before she could even say goodbye. She wasn't going to let that happen.

He must have noticed how Waverly was feeling because Nedley stepped in and gently placed a hand on her trembling shoulder while looking over at the Doctor.

"How about this then Darren, you let them go down to the morgue and pay their respects and I'll tell anyone who asks that they are on police business. Sound good to you?"

Doctor Darren shook his head adamantly at the idea. His irritation at the group appeared to be growing by the second as the conversation continued that made Waverly curious as to why. Why was he acting like this over a simple request? None of the other doctors or nurses were as strict as this guy. Something about this guy was setting off an alarm in Waverly.

"Look, I can't just let you guys run around in restricted areas for personal reasons —"

"No, you look!" Interrupted Wynonna, nearly shouting at the Doctor and startling him and the nearby hospital patrons. "Nicole Haught sacrificed her life helping us all deal with the shit that has been going on the last twenty-four hours! If it wasn't for her, this town would've been in a lot worse trouble! So you better let us go and pay our respects or so help me I will —"

Before Wynonna could continue her threat at the Doctor, Waverly placed a hand on her sister's arm to get her to stop.

"Why won't you let us see Nicole?" Waverly inquired from the shady Doctor. The sweetness that Waverly was known for was gone as she glared dangerously at Darren Teague. There was obviously a reason he was keeping them from seeing Nicole and it wasn't because of hospital policy.

"I — I told you already —" He stammered and completely caught off guard at the sudden interrogation he is being put through and the pairs of suspicious eyes watching him.

"Yeah, 'hospital policy', but that's not it." Waverly stepped closer, getting into the Doctor's personal space and making him move backward. "You're hiding something, aren't you? What are you hiding Doctor?"

Darren looked more and more guilty as he tried to calm Waverly down from making a bigger scene than she was already making.

"What did you do to Nicole?! Tell me!" The youngest Earp practically yelled at the Doctor who kept peering at the people around them.

"Okay okay!" The doctor snapped, finally conceded to the young Earp. Waverly's eyes lit up for the first time since entering the hospital at finally getting some progress here. "Fine, I'll take you to the damn morgue."

Shaking his exasperated head at the group, he motioned for them to follow him through a pair of doors and to the hallway beyond that leads to the morgue.

Waverly exhaled a relieved breath and followed the doctor with the rest of the group close behind. Wynonna walked up next to her sister and nudged her in the arm.

"Damn, way to use that Earp temper to get what you want." Wynonna muttered to her.

Waverly gave her a small smile that quickly faltered after turning away from her sister. Now wasn't the time to tell her what Bobo told her in the treehouse earlier.

As they made their way to the double doors, Waverly noticed the lack of one extra person. Turning around, she saw Nedley standing in the waiting room rather than travel with them to the morgue.

"Nedley, aren't you coming?" she asked the sheriff who shook his head.

"No, darlin'. I gotta make sure everything is ready for her family when they arrive. Besides, this your time to say goodbye."

Waverly wanted to protest. Nedley had a right to be there with them too but time was of the essence and she knew how stubborn the sheriff can be. conceding to the sheriff's wishes, Waverly gave him a quick nod and turned back to the double doors and walked through with her sister Doc and Teague.

The walk to the morgue felt like it was never going to end. The hospital wasn't that big but the anticipation to see Nicole one last time made it seem like they were walking forever.

Waverly was really glad to have Wynonna by her side because she didn't know if she would be able to handle seeing Nicole by herself. Being told she was dead was hard enough to deal with but to actually see her deceased girlfriend in person might be too much for her.

They took a turn at what felt like the hundredth hallway they walked down. Waverly was about to ask if the doctor was even taking them to the morgue when she looked down the hallway and her eyes landed on a pair of double doors where the word **MORGUE** was painted in black lettering on each door.

Waverly took Wynonna's hand and gripped it tightly as they got closer. Wynonna didn't protest to the action if it made Waverly feel safe and wrapped her other arm around her younger sister as they walked toward the doors.

The bright fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed above their heads as they walked down the long white hallway silently with only the sounds of the patter their shoes made on the hard floor.

When the group finally made it to the doors, Darren went through them first, not even being courteous enough to hold one open for the rest of the group. Doc stepped up and held open a door for the Earp sisters.

Wynonna, still holding on to Waverly and vice versa, nudged her younger sister forward when she noticed Waverly remained planted in the same spot.

"Waves?" Wynonna softly called out to the youngest Earp. "You sure you're up for this?"

Waverly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled from her mouth before nodding to her sister. Waverly kept her grip on her sister as they both walked through the open doorway.

**xXx**

**xXx**

**Nicole Haught**

Nicole was floating in an endless black void. She couldn't see. Couldn't feel or hear or even move her body. She was nothing. She was no longer a person and she no longer existed.

After some time, or no time at all, she became aware. She became aware that she does, in fact, exist as she realized she was lying on a solid surface and the void itself was brightening as her sight came back revealing a blurred jumble of colors that gradually became clear as her eyes focused.

Her other senses were returning to her as well. Moving her fingers, Nicole realized that she is lying on a soft thick patch of grass and from the aroma of pine and earth invading her nostrils, she was out in a wooded area.

For a moment, she let herself relax and stretch and enjoy the calm sounds of nature around her and the warmth of the sun as she stared up at the clear blue sky and lush full trees towering above her that swayed with the breeze that swept through.

Then something dawned on her. There was no way this could be Purgatory. It is far too warm and calm for it to be a forest in the Ghost River Triangle.

As the realization emerged that she was not in Purgatory, so did the memories of what happened came rushing back as well; her getting ready to help deal with the poisoned town. Hearing the Earp sisters argue over Wynonna's gun.

Then she remembered Willa pulling out a gun and threatening to shoot Waverly If Wynonna didn't give up Peacemaker. That's when she recalled how she reacted to that by attacking Willa, violently, to protect Waverly and finally… she remembered Willa plunging a sharp knife into her chest.

Wait!

Nicole shot up to a sitting position as she replayed that last memory in her mind. Willa stabbing her with that large serrated knife. She remembered feeling the cold tough steel sliding into her chest cavity, cutting through everything in its way and the feeling of the pain she felt as it did and the smug face of Willa's as she held the knife in.

Nicole peered down at her torso to see the stab wound. To her surprise, there was none to be seen. Not even a single tear on her uniform shirt.

"How is this even possible?" she muttered to herself. Nicole grazed her fingers on her chest where her heart resides.

She didn't feel anything unusual. No wound or pain at the touch. It was as if it didn't happen at all. It was as if it was just a bad dream.

Nicole wished it was, but the memories were so vivid that there was no way it was fake or a trick of the mind. It happened and what was worse...Nicole thinks she could be dead.

There was no other reason why she would be here in this gorgeous peaceful place. She was killed. No, she was murdered.

She had to admit, it was hard to take in. Nicole knew that being an officer would put in her in life-threatening situations and the potential to get killed in the line of duty was a possibility but it still didn't make this any better to deal with.

Her heart was pounding fast against her chest as she felt herself begin to panic.

Standing up, Nicole paced across the small clearing she woke up in, rubbing the nape of her neck as she tried to calm herself. She didn't want to be dead. She wanted to live again. To go back to Waverly.

Waverly.

How could she leave Waverly behind? This upset Nicole above all else. Waverly was the love of her life and after months of pining after her, she finally got to be with her and for that short time, it was pure bliss for her.

Nicole felt she should be angry. That she should yell and curse into the sky for what happened to her but she that wasn't what she felt. What she did feel was bittersweet. While no longer being with Waverly made her sad, she also felt glad to have been with her at all, even if it was for such a short time. How many people could say they got to be with the love of their life? Nicole felt so lucky to have had that chance.

A cool comforting breeze swept through the forest clearing, rustling the foliage around her that made Nicole look up at the leaves that shivered on the countless branches.

Finally taking in her surroundings, Nicole appreciated just how truly beautiful this place is. She can only assume this place was Heaven. Her Heaven at least. She wasn't particularly religious but she liked to believe there was a life after death. It's good to know that it is true.

If she had to be honest with herself, this place felt familiar. It was so strange because she never been here as far as she could remember if this place was a representation of somewhere she had gone. It was as if she was having Deja vu. This clearing and everything about it from what she saw to what she smelled seemed made it feel familiar to her.

Turning her gaze downward, Nicole noticed there was no path directing her where to go. She looked around, hoping to find a clue in the direction to go but none was visible. Yet, she felt there was no reason to move from her spot. Something within her, an instinct if you will, told her to stay here and wait.

It seemed that her instincts were right...in a way.

From behind her, the soft thud of heavy footsteps patting on to the ground could be heard and a deep growl that echoed through the clearing.

Nicole's heart pounded hard like a drum in her chest as she felt her panic rise as the creature stepped closer to her.

Once she gained enough confidence to turn and face the creature stalking her from behind.

When Nicole saw what was behind her, she instantly froze in fright at the sight. The creature before her was the largest wolf she's ever seen. It had to be at least the size of a bear with a thick coat of fur the color of amber and its eyes the color of crimson that appeared to glow as they observed her with an intense gaze.

Nicole hastily reached down to her waist for her gun only to find the gun belt and her weapon missing. Her sudden movement caused the wolf to crouch in defense and snarled warningly at her, revealing its sharp jagged teeth. With nothing to protect her, Nicole slowly backed away, making sure to keep her gaze on the wolf in case it charged at her.

The wolf didn't appear to be hostile but the continuous growling emitting from the large creature told her to keep her distance. She didn't want this monstrous wolf beast to think she was challenging it to a fight and hoped it would leave her alone. However, the overgrown wolf continued to step closer and snarled warningly at her, revealing its sharp jagged teeth for a moment while it licked its lips.

Nicole stopped walking back as it wasn't working to get rid of the creature, but she tried as best she could to stand tall and make herself bigger as he came closer to her. It was futile as the wolf towered above her by at least a foot and its enormous body nearly surrounded her as it began to circle her.

Nicole trembled when she felt the wolf's hot breath when it exhaled behind her.

"You don't have to be frightened of her." A voice called out to her.

"You don't have to be frightened of her." A voice called out to her that made Nicole's eyes widened in shock at hearing that familiar gentle tone she hadn't heard in years.

Her heart skipped a beat when her assumption was confirmed at who the voice belonged to when she saw the familiar figure walking toward her; her mother. Melanie was just as Nicole remembered; gorgeous with a sweet motherly demeanor about her and a kind smile that always brought her comfort. Her long red hair danced in the wind around her beaming face as she came closer to Nicole, walking past the freak wolf between them.

Nicole might have been shocked before but when she saw her mother calmly pat the wolf on the shoulder and scratched behind her ears as if it was some domestic dog, she thought for a moment that this was a trippy dream.

The wolf relaxed at the touch and sat on her haunches, leaning her large head into Melanie's hand.

There were so many questions running through Nicole's mind at this strange situation. She didn't know if this was even real, not until her mother wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.

The contact made Nicole nearly breakdown in tears as she gladly reciprocated the hug. Everything about her mother; her touch, her scent, was all the same that she remembered. A warm comforting feeling that instantly soothed her from all her questions and doubts on the reality of the situation. This was real. Her mother standing before her was real.

Happiness didn't describe what Nicole felt as she held on to her mother. She never wanted to let her go in fear that her mother would disappear.

Yet, when they finally parted, Melanie remained in front of Nicole, smiling at her daughter, caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears that trailed down Nicole's face with her thumb as any other mother would do for her child.

"I am so happy to see you, sweetheart." Melanie's soft motherly voice said to her. "To be able to tell you just how proud I am of seeing the woman you've become."

Nicole inhaled a deep breath, trying to keep herself composed. It has been so long since she heard her mother's voice that she felt she was about to break down in tears hearing it.

"Well," Nicole managed to say after exhaling the air that calmed her. "Now, we have an eternity to talk about that."

The smile on Melanie's lips faltered ever so slightly at Nicole's comment.

"Mom, what is it?" Nicole asked when she saw her mother's action.

After a moment of silence between the mother and daughter, Melanie finally spoke.

"Sweetheart…" The words seemed stuck coming out of Melanie's mouth as she spoke. "We don't have much time."

Another bout of silence surrounded them as Nicole processed what her mother said. That couldn't be, right? Why wouldn't they have time?

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked her, her smile gradually fading to a frown. "Mom?"

Melanie sighed before answering her daughter.

"You're not staying here. You're going back."

"I...I don't understand. I'm...I'm dead. I can't go back."

Melanie shook her head and placed her hands on Nicole's shoulders.

"Sweetheart...you are not an ordinary girl. You are something so...so special. And that part of you is what will take you back."

"What?!" Nicole asked incredulously. This conversation was beyond unreal. There was no way to come back from the dead.

"What part of me?"

Melanie smiled and turned to the large wolf sitting beside her.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Nicole didn't understand at first then it began to register to her.

"No." She breathed out the word and stepped back, shaking her head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be What she was thinking.

Before Nicole could ask one of the million questions running through her mind, a sound like thunder rumbling so loud and powerful that it shook the ground they stood on.

The wolf shot back up on all four legs and snarled at the sky while Melanie looked worried as she looked beyond into the distance behind Nicole.

"We have to go! Now!" She told her daughter.

Turning behind her, Nicole stepped back as she too looked out in fright.

It wasn't thunder at all but the ground itself shaking from the earthquake that was getting more and more powerful.

"GO!" The Melanie yelled one last time before running off toward the tree line and into the forest.

The wolf gave Nicole a look that looked worried for her before turning away to run after her mother.

Feeling the shaking grow stronger beneath her feet, Nicole followed behind them running as fast as she could.

The forest was loud with the deafening sounds of the leaves in the trees shaking and the ground rumbling as it cracked and collapsed behind her into the unknown.

The foliage was thick, for too thick for her to see where they were going but Nicole continued to follow them in the hopes of making it to safety, wherever that may be.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of running around in a circle, Nicole skidded to a halt when she nearly fell down a cliff after running out of the treeline. Her body arched forward, her arms flailing as she tried to balance herself away from the cliff's high edge. It was a long fall, too high even for her comfort.

Looking back, the world was collapsing into itself leaving nothing but darkness that was approaching fast behind them.

"What's happening?!" Nicole yelled over the loud rumbling sound around them.

"You're waking up!" Melanie told her.

For once, something made sense since she woke up here.

"You need to jump!"

Nicole thought she didn't hear right but she could've sworn she heard her mother tell her to jump. From the cliff? No way!

"You're kidding right?!" Nicole asked her only for her mother to shake her head.

"If you don't jump before this all disappears, you will wake up wrong!" Melanie informed her. She swept away her hair dancing in her face from the gusty winds flowing around them.

"What do you mean wrong?!" Nicole questioned some more. She felt so unprepared for this.

"There's no time to explain!" They watched the tree line just behind them sway before collapsing into the nothing that came closer. "You just have to trust me! You have to jump now!"

Nicole didn't want to jump. She didn't want to leave her mother behind but the choice was out of her hands as the work behind her collapsed into the infinite abyss that was quickly closing in on them.

"I don't want to leave you!" Nicole said to her mother. "I finally get to see you again and now I am losing you!"

Melanie smiled her caring smile and pulled Nicole into a tight hug.

"I am always with you, Nicole! In your heart and mind, I am always there!"

Nicole could feel the tears welling up in the corners of her watery chocolate brown eyes as she heard her mother's words.

"I love you, mom!"

"I love you too Nicole!" Melanie said and gave Nicole a kiss on her cheek. "It's time for you to wake up!"

Nicole felt her mother release her from the hug but never losing contact.

For that moment, everything was calm and peaceful as the mother and daughter stared at each other one last time.

Then she felt a sudden tug as her mother grip tightened on her arms and shoved her off the cliff side.

Looking up at the cliff, she saw her mother watching her fall further down until the nothing consumed her as well.

Once again her mother was fine but she remembered what Melanie told her. She was always with her.

She was right. It was time to wake up.

Turning herself around, Nicole now faced the incoming ground and prepared herself to return to the land of the living and face what is to come next and what she is to become.

**xXx**

**xXx**

That first heartbeat hit Nicole like a jolt of electricity.

Her body jumped to a sitting position as she felt the air filter in and out of her lungs with every loud gasp from her wide open mouth. Her chest rose dramatically with each gulp of air she took in and exhaled out.

Her heart was pounding so fast and adrenaline coursed through her body that made her feel tingly all over.

Her eyes frantically flitted everywhere around the cold room. Her eyes. Her sight. It was different. She always had great eyesight but everything she saw was crystal clear and more. It was as if she was wearing a magnifying glass that let her see every little detail in the room from the tiniest cracks in the distant wall to the specks of dust floating through the air.

She recognized the room as the morgue, having been here often because of her job. The smell was bad. Really bad. It was the unmistakable scent of decaying flesh and a flowery scent meant to mask the smell but only made it worse. So much worse.

She smelled other things as well. Things that don't belong in a morgue. The smell of whiskey and cigarettes wafted in the air and the scent of wet leather. The strongest and by far the most appealing scent was the sweet floral scent that she instantly recognized as belonging to Waverly Earp.

She jerked her head around. An action she immediately regretted when her sensitive head throbbed but the sight her eyes caught made up for it.

Waverly stared at her. Her gorgeous glistening caramel brown eyes stared in disbelief as everyone else did.

The entire room was silent with the exception of everyone breathing. God, why was everyone breathing so loud?

Nicole moved her gaze away from the stunned crowd as her face began to scrunch in discomfort. her shaking hands moved up to her chest and opened the gown slightly to feel where her fingers fell on the stitched red gash where the serrated blade had plunged into her chest. Looking down she saw the gruesome wound.

Nicole's eyes grew wide at what she saw and even more so when she realized what happened to her. The throbbing wound on her chest. The room she was in. It was all becoming clear to her.

Everything was coming back to her. Willa. The blade. Waking up in Heaven. Seeing her mother. Her mother's cryptic message. Then being pushed off a cliff to wake up.

Her breathing became frantic as she began to panic. She did it. She actually came back to life.

In all the shock and excitement, Nicole tried to get up. Her legs trembled as she put her weight on them before giving out.

Doc and Wynonna rushed to Nicole and grabbed her arms before gently sitting her back on the table.

Nicole's eyes flitted between each person. It took her a moment but she managed to recognize them with the exception of the man in hospital scrubs and a white lab coat.

Her eyes then stopped at Waverly who remained silent as everyone else did.

Waverly began making her way to the center of the room, which felt like an eternity for her.

As soon as she made it to Nicole, Waverly placed a quivering hand on Nicole's arm, seeing if this was real.

Nicole jerked around at the touch. Her wide frightened eyes fell on Waverly, who stepped back from the sudden action. Wynonna and Doc quickly moved in to cover Waverly in case Nicole did something but Waverly quickly pushed through them and moved back in front of her girlfriend.

"Nicole?" Waverly softly called out to her. Slowly and carefully, she placed a hand on the side of Nicole's head, cupping the woman's face in her soft palm and brushing her thumb on her warm skin.

Nicole tensed at the touch but when her eyes met Waverly's caring gaze, her body relaxed as and her breathing eased to a steady rhythm once again. God did she love Waverly's touch, so soft and comforting.

"W—Waverly?" croaked Nicole's voice as she attempted a weak smile.

Waverly sighed a great sigh of relief. Never had she loved hearing her name more than she did at this moment.

"I'm here baby." She smiled and gently hugged Nicole, placing the girl's head against her chest. The redhead tensed for a moment but quickly relaxed into the hug and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. There was something...well...different about Waverly that she couldn't put a finger on just yet.

"Well, it looks like Nicole is going to have a huge payday after she sues the hospital for this blunder," Wynonna jested and Waverly tearfully chuckled. "Nice going there doc."

"Shit!" Doctor Darren cursed repeatedly as he paced around the exit, running his hands through his now messy jet black hair. His agitation seemed to have reached its peak and now he's finally lost it.

"Hey Doctor useless, I was kidding about the lawsuit...kinda" Wynonna muttered the last part. "Why don't you calm down at call someone more competent to give Nicole a look at."

Darren halted his pacing, his eyes glared at them for a moment until a smile spread across his face that creeped them out.

"Sure thing...I know just who to call."

Taking out his phone from his pocket, Darren tapped on the screen and placed the phone to his right ear. For a few seconds, he was silent until an unintelligible voice came through.

"Hey, it's Teague —" Darren paused and glanced at the group before moving back into the office on the other side of the room to continue the conversation in private, which Waverly thought was weird but the least important thing on her mind right now.

Nicole took notice of the others around her and Waverly, giving them each a tired smile.

"Hey guys." her voice cracked as she greeted them. "How's it going?"

"Good to see you back with the living, Nicole." Wynonna was the first to respond. Her voice wasn't laced with the usual sarcasm when she spoke and gave the officer a small smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like I had a serrated knife plunged into my chest." Nicole joked but the smile seemed to waver to a frown as she realized something else. Glancing at Doc, she couldn't help but notice the intense look he was giving her.

"Where's Dolls?" she asked, the question aimed at the gunslinger as she took notice of the Agent's absence from the group.

"Black Badge took him for insubordination." Doc moved from his spot and made his way closer to Nicole and crouched down in front of her and Waverly. Nicole couldn't help but notice how much he smelled of Whiskey and tobacco and the cologne he wore. It was so strong it hurt her nose. These scents were always a faint smell to her but now, it was overwhelming her senses.

Speaking of senses, Nicole's other ones felt...well...heightened to her. _Maybe it has to do with coming back to life? _She thought to herself.

"Truly though Ms. Haught, how do you feel?" Doc asked her. His southern voice held a tone of concern as he spoke to her.

Nicole could see that continued intense gaze he gave her looked at her with worry that it made her feel a little troubled.

"I — I'm fine," she told him.

"Are you sure?" Doc asked, sounding a bit more demanding that caught her off guard. "Do you feel different? Any changes at all?"

Nicole thought back to her 'heightened senses' but still figured it was all due to her living once again and her senses just being overly sensitive.

If she had to be honest though, Nicole did feel strange. While her body did still feel weak it was beginning to feel stronger and for some reason, a tingly sensation was coursing through her body that made her want to get up and run around. Her weak limbs and sheer will were the only things keeping her from doing so.

Another thing Nicole felt was hunger. This hunger though was nothing that she had felt before and wasn't too sure if she should tell him.

"Well, as glad as I am that you are back I have to ask the obvious." Wynonna paused for quite some time before continuing her question. "How did you come back?"

Before Nicole could respond to his question, Nicole's ears perked as she caught the sound of an argument going on in the office and the sound of Darren Teague pacing around the room. For a moment, she concerned herself with the fact that she could even hear him from across the room through the office walls and closed door before resuming her eavesdropping.

Darren sounded anxious and tense and a little bit like he was on the verge of crying as he listened to the person on the other end of the phone yell at him. Nicole's hearing couldn't decipher what the other person was saying from all the other noises surrounding her in a loud muffled incoherent cloud but from what she could tell, they were very annoyed with Doctor Teague. She figured it might be his superior that was more than a little pissed at him for the blunder.

"Yes, of course — I understand — certainly — I'll… I'll be sure to do that before you get here."

"_Yeah you fuckin' better!"_ was the only thing Nicole could understand from the person Darren was talking to before they hung up the call.

She heard Darren exhale a deep shaky breath before being interrupted by Wynonna's snapping fingers. Shaking her head, Nicole turned to the group to see them look at her with worry.

"Dude, don't scare us like that!" Wynonna breathed out a sigh of relief. "We've been calling your name for a while and you didn't respond. Thought you were going in to shock or something."

"Oh, sorry about that." Nicole apologized to them. Her eyes fell back to toward the office where Doctor Teague was returning to them. She took notice of his right hand holding something that he managed to slip into his lab coat pocket before she could see. Her sight was impeccable now.

As he turned to the awaiting group he gave them that creepy smile from earlier before explaining the call.

"So my colleague is coming down right away to examine Ms. Haught," Darren informed them as he walked over to Nicole and Waverly. "In the meantime —"

The Doctor crouched down to his knees in front of the two women. his hand reached into the pocket of his lab coat where he stored something in and pulled out a syringe with a capped needle and a faint yellow substance within.

"What is that?" Nicole asked warily as she eyed the item. She wasn't afraid of needles but rather the content within this one. This guy has been nothing but shady since she met him and the conversation he had on the phone gave her no inclination to trust him.

"It's just a mild sedative to keep you calm and relaxed for when they arrive." He said as he reached for her arm.

Nicole's eyes widened when she heard his response and before he could stick the needle in her, she pulled away from him so fast, she stunned him and the rest of the group.

"Something wrong?" Darren asked her, sounding concerned for her. Nicole knew his concern was fake and it wasn't something she saw in his expression or something she heard in his voice. No, like he has been since she woke up, Darren has been giving off this unusual scent that — the only way she could describe it — made her worry? That's what it made her feel of him.

"Yeah." Nicole glared at the doctor. "You said 'they'."

There was a glimpse of alarm that crossed Darren's face for a millisecond that nobody caught but Nicole.

"But you only mentioned talking to a colleague. Only one of I recall."

"Oh — well —" Darren seemed lost for words as he tried to explain the minor slip up. "The colleague I talked to is bringing a couple of nurses to help out here so —"

Before he could finish, Darren quickly grabbed Nicole arm to stick the needle in her. A big mistake on his part.

The action caused something within Nicole to react and grab Darren by his throat. There was a moment where Nicole didn't feel like she was in control. Like something inside of her taken over and grabbed the man and stood up, lifting the doctor off his feet.

The whole group reacted by standing back; Doc Nedley and Wynonna had their hands palming their guns while Waverly was shielded by her sister.

A menacing growl rumbled in Nicole's chest as she glared daggers at the man she held up. There was a moment where nothing happened, then Nicole shocked the rest of the group by throwing Darren like a rag doll across the room into a wall.

The doctor hit the wall with a heavy thud and grunted on impact before crumbling to the floor, motionless.

Nicole glared at the unconscious man and felt this sudden rush of rage at this man who had the audacity to try to poke her with a needle let alone put a hand on her.

_Who the hell does this human think he is?_

Whoa there! Nicole shook her head at the last internal comment. She didn't know where that one came from but she didn't like it. She was human too. Or at least she still hoped she is.

Taking in deep breaths to calm herself, a new scent invaded her nose. She recognized it right away by its metallic scent that it is blood but the strange part was how good it smelled.

Too good in fact. Her mouth watered as her tongue grazed her lips. To her brief surprise, the tip of her tongue felt the sharp point one of her canines. She never remembered them feeling so sharp before.

The source of blood was coming from Darren. Drops of blood were dripping from the back of his head.

Her eyes stared at the thick red liquid dripping onto the floor. It was all she could see. All she wanted to see.

She could hear the soft _plinks_ of the droplets hitting the ground in a small splatter that gradually grew with each drop.

It was a mesmerizing sound. A sound that deafened all other sounds.

"Nicole!" A muffled voice called out to her but it became clearer when she heard her name a second time. "Nicole!"

Waverly's voice managed to break her transe. Blinking a few times, Nicole realized she was closer, much too close to the unconscious doctor and stepped away.

Turning around to her friends, Nicole could see all their shocked expressions as they stared at her.

"Where the hell did that strength come from?" Wynonna's cautiously asked. Her hand palmed the coveted gun she and her sisters fought over.

Nicole shook her head. She didn't know if she should or even can tell them. "I don't know."

Would they even believe her? Purgatory is a strange town and a lot of strange things happen around the Earp sisters and their small group but she didn't know if they could be trusted. Or at least Wynonna. Seeing her hand on the old gun in her holster didn't scream trust to Nicole.

"Nicole...are you sure you're alright?" Nedley asked her.

"I…I think so…" Nicole let out a troubled sigh. She didn't think so.

"Okay well...we can all assume that what we saw...was not a normal thing." Wynonna added only to be smacked in the arm by Waverly.

Waverly took a couple of steps before being held back by Wynonna.

The youngest Earp glared at Wynonna when she felt her sister's hands on her arm.

"Wynonna!" Waverly snapped.

"Waves, I don't think that's a good idea." Wynonna cautioned at her sister. She must have noticed the way Nicole was acting and didn't like it.

"What are you talking about?!" the irritation was evident in Waverly's voice as she questioned her sister. "She's my girlfriend!"

"No Waverly...she's right," Nicole said in Wynonna's defense. "I don't feel right. You need to keep your distance."

"Nicole." Waverly said with concern now. "What's the matter?"

Waverly stepped closer but Nicole stepped even further back, keeping the distance between them far enough.

Waverly seemed all the more worried when seeing the frustrated and troubled look on Nicole's face.

"I...I don't know." Nicole responded. Her voice was trembling slightly. She felt so overwhelmed and there was nothing she could do about it. "I feel strange-"

"Like you are not you anymore." Doc finished the sentence for her. He stepped away from the crowd beside Waverly. "You feel like your senses are heightened and everything feels and looks different to you?"

Nicole stared at the Georgian gentleman in astonishment. How did he know?

"Yes!" She sighed in relief. It felt good to know that someone knew what she was going through.

"Do you feel like you are about to crawl out your skin? Like there is something underneath that wants to come out?"

Nicole nodded. It was true and more. Her body felt so strong and powerful and she felt all this energy building up in her body that needed to come out. She certainly wasn't the same person anymore.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, that's good to know." Said an unfamiliar voice.

The group turned around to the doorway and found a group of people covered head to toe in what looked like riot gear and assault weapons pointed at them.

Before she could react, Nicole saw the soldiers point their guns at everyone. Her especially. Four soldiers rounded on her with their weapons pointed her.

"Nicole!" Waverly shrieked. The youngest Earp tried to run to Nicole only to be blocked by two other soldiers that came between her.

Wynonna and Doc raised their guns only to immediately be surrounded by soldiers with bigger guns brandished at them.

"What the fuck is going on?!" She heard Wynonna demanded at the lead soldier. The one that shot Nicole.

That soldier stepped forward, not saying anything. He looked down at Nicole and Waverly and smiled a far from friendly smile at them. He then turned to one of his soldiers and motioned for him to come forward.

"Put the girl back with the others."

The soldier nodded and grabbed Waverly by her upper arm.

"Hey!" She yelled at the soldier as he yanked her up.

"Get your hands off her!" Wynonna yelled and tried to run over only to be stopped by the nearby soldiers. She pointed her gun at them but it was useless. Their weapons were far superior to her colt .45 and she and Doc were vastly outnumbered.

The soldier dragging Waverly tossed her to her sister who caught her and held her tight before moving her behind

The soldiers ignored Wynonna's command and waited for further instructions.

"Black badge huh?" Wynonna took notice of the badge sewn on to the shoulder of the lead soldiers upper left arm and the nametag on the left side of his chest. "Reynolds, in case you didn't know, were on the same damn team."

Wynonna took out the badge Dolls issued her when she came back to town and showed it to the lead soldier, Reynolds.

"Hardly." Reynolds scoffed, clearly unimpressed with her. He then reached into his pocket and took out a phone. "Someone would like to speak to you."

Confused, Wynonna took the phone and as soon as she saw who was on the other end she rolled her eyes.

"Lucado. Why am I not surprised?"

"You destroyed my only evidence of Purgatory's supernatural problem." Came a snide voice of the female agent. "Luckily for me, the town is chock-full of them and I believe I have found my next specimen, thanks to Mr. Teague here."

The group briefly turned to the unconscious man still lying on the ground by the wall. It was Lucado he was talking to in the office.

"He finally did something useful rather than play doctor in this backwater town." Lucado added, breaking the silence. "Reynolds."

The lead soldier snatched the phone back from Wynonna and turned the screen to him.

"Yes ma'am."

"Restrain the specimen and make sure she is secured properly for the journey to the Black site."

Reynolds gave her quick nod and ordered two of his soldiers to what needed to be done.

The soldiers marched over to Nicole and pulled out a twine of thin rope with small purple flowers tied around it. Nicole expected real handcuffs or some type of strong state of the art restraints to bind her. Not this nonsense. Or so she thought.

As soon as the rope made contact with her wrists, she began to feel nauseous and weak. So much so that she couldn't even stand for very long and nearly collapsed into the ground of two of the soldiers hadn't already been holding on to her arms.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She said with a bit of difficulty trying to get the words out.

"What should we do with Teague?" Reynolds asked, ignoring Nicole's question and turning his attention to the unconscious man.

"He served his purpose." Lucado answered back. "and his cover has been blown so I see no need to bring him along. He was always a liability anyways."

Reynolds nodded.

"Understood. We'll be heading back with the specimen in tow."

"Good work Reynolds." Lucado praises from the phone screen. "See you when you get here."

The call ended and Reynolds pocketed the phone as he turned his attention to his soldiers holding on to Nicole and made his way over.

When he reached Nicole, he crouched down to her hunched over height as she tried to remain as conscious as her weakened state would allow her.

"You are going to be some prize for Black Badge, Miss Haught." He muttered to her with a smirk. "If What Teague said about you is true then we just hit the jackpot."

Nicole didn't say anything but kept glaring at the man before her. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small black case and opened it. Inside was a set of two hypodermic needles and two tiny vials of a faint clear yellow liquid inside of them.

Reynolds took out one of the vials and proceeded to inject one of the needles through the top to acquire the liquid within.

"This is just a cocktail sedative to knock you out for the trip." Reynolds informed her as he tapped on the needle to make sure no air was inside. "Want to make sure this is all smooth sailing for when we get to the Black Site."

"You're not taking Nicole anywhere!" Waverly shouted from behind Wynonna.

Reynolds only chuckled as he looked at the two sisters helplessly tried to defend Nicole.

"I really don't think you're in a position to make demands Miss Earp and frankly I wouldn't even if you were."

Turning back to Nicole, he stuck the needle into her arm.

Nicole felt the slight pinch of the needle piercing through her skin and almost instantly she began to feel drowsy.

Her eyes felt heavy but she refused to close them. Shaking her head and moving as much as she can, Nicole did her best to remain awake but it was a losing battle.

The soldiers holding on to Nicole lifted her up and dragged her limp body to the exit as Reynolds commanded them.

Nicole's eyes met Waverly's own frantic ones as she tried to get through the soldiers holding her and Wynonna and Doc in place.

"Waverly." Nicole weakly called out to her girlfriend as the soldiers carried her out.

Waverly was panicking as she helplessly watched them take Nicole away from them.

Her hearing was becoming muffled as the darkness began to overtake her once again but she could faintly hear Waverly's voice calling out to her.

Nicole wanted to call back to her but she couldn't even muster the strength to speak let alone look back at her girlfriend.

It was probably for the best. Seeing Waverly would only break her heart.

Just when Nicole thought she had to leave Waverly, she managed to come back from the dead and reunite with the girl she loved and for that brief moment, they were so happy. Then in a blink of an eye, she was being taken away from her again.

Contemplating this before she lost total consciousness, she only had one thought to this situation.

What the hell, life!

* * *

**How was the first chapter? I have already begun working on the second chapter. I'm having a bit of trouble with a small spot but once I get out of it I'll be able to finish it at a quicker pace.**

**The next chapter will deal with Nicole being in BBD's care, which isn't a good thing, and Wynonna and Waverly and Doc attempting to find their kidnapped friends.**

**Alrighty, I think I said all I needed to say. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to PM me or leave a review and I will respond as soon as possible.**


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